


Silent Roar

by bcbdrums



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidents, Angst, Betrayal, Canon Compliant, Drama, Explosions, F/M, Gen, Injury, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bcbdrums/pseuds/bcbdrums
Summary: Her thoughts ended abruptly as she saw Drakken sitting up in the grass. Relief washed over her at the same time a new fear went through her like a knife. She could see blood dripping down the side of his face."Drakken!" she called. He didn't turn, but simply stared straight ahead as if in a daze. "Drakken!"She slowed her approach as she saw him begin slowly turning his head and peering around at the flames. He...seemed all right. But something was off."Drakken?"She finally stepped into his line of sight and he jumped upon seeing her, his eyes wild as he blinked in fear.
Relationships: Dr. Drakken & Shego (Kim Possible), Dr. Drakken/Shego (Kim Possible)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Silent Roar

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay honestly...and I know people hate when writers do this, but... This is not my best work. It starts out just fine, because I wrote the beginning over a week ago. And then real life hit me like a freight train and I have struggled to get the rest of this done ever since. I don't really care for it. Feel free to be brutally honest in reviews. It's not my original vision at all... I didn't even spellcheck.
> 
> If you're still here, this is for DrakgoPrompts on Tumblr. [#6, "Thunder."](https://drakgoprompts.tumblr.com/post/625973115079524352/drakgo-prompt-6)

Shego pushed through the tall grass with a scowl on her face as she scanned with the metal detector Drakken had provided her. He was several yards away, operating his own.

The sun was high over the tropical island, but it was temperate weather so Shego didn't mind so much that Drakken had dragged her out to push through knee-high grass on the outskirts of a jungle, searching for some sort of mythical object of power. Something about their quest was putting her off, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why...

"I still can't believe we're teaming up with this guy after you met him one time online," Shego called out.

Drakken paused in his own searching and turned back to face her.

"We were instant messaging for ten hours, Shego!" Drakken said with a grin. "Dr. Sinister has very innovative ideas."

Shego paused in her task and looked up. She let go the sudden realization that he had been exhausted during their date due to spending the day online as even worse revelations began to hit her. "'Dr. Sinister'? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I helped him choose the name. It was between that and 'Dr. Evil,' but 'Dr. Evil' sounds a bit tacky don't you think?"

"Wait, helped him choose? He's a new villain?" Shego said, dropping her metal detector and setting her hands on her hips as she glared in annoyance.

"Oh he's committed crimes before. But he's trying to break into large-scale villainy. Rather difficult when you live in a rural area as Lester does."

"'Lester'?" Shego asked, blinking in shock.

"Eh...don't tell him I told you. He's trying to build his villain cred, and with a name like Lester, well..."

Drakken's metal detector began beeping and Shego watched as he spun around with an excited grin.

"Shego! This must be it! It's the—"

A powerful explosion shook the ground beneath Shego's feet, and her hands flew to her ears as she stumbled and fell hard on her side. The sound was more painful than the fall, and she pressed her palms hard against her ears as she shifted up to her knees and then stumbled to her feet.

_'Drakken!'_

She shielded her eyes as smoke wafted over her and flames rose up from the spot near where Drakken had been standing. But he wasn't there.

A red and yellow flash suddenly passed in front of her, and Shego squinted in confusion as a man wearing a bodysuit that looked like it had fake muscles inside ran past her, his cape flowing behind him.

"Suckers!" a nasally drawl called out above the sound of flames.

Shego watched in numb shock as the comical man high-stepped through the tall grass all the way to their hover-car and jumped in. That was what snapped her out of her stupor, and she bolted in the stranger's direction and fired her glow, but it was too late to stop him from taking off, laughing all the while.

Shego growled as she realized that this person...Dr. Sinister... _Lester_...had double-crossed them. Why? As she turned and ran back toward where she had last seen Drakken she wondered if it was all just for the hover-car. Because if so...

Her thoughts ended abruptly as she saw Drakken sitting up in the grass. Relief washed over her at the same time a new fear went through her like a knife. She could see blood dripping down the side of his face.

"Drakken!" she called. He didn't turn, but simply stared straight ahead as if in a daze. "Drakken!"

She slowed her approach as she saw him begin slowly turning his head and peering around at the flames. He...seemed all right. But something was off.

"Drakken?"

She finally stepped into his line of sight and he jumped upon seeing her, his eyes wild as he blinked in fear.

"Drakken? Are you all right?"

* * *

Drakken watched the smoke billowing behind Shego and the flames licking at the tall grass. He watched her lips moving as her eyes stared, wide and almost frantic. It reminded him of the look on her face when the Lorwardians had taken him...

Shego set her hands on her hips. She lifted an eyebrow in confusion, or perhaps annoyance? He wasn't sure. Her expression was beginning to calm.

He couldn't hear a word she was saying. Or the fire. Or his own heartbeat, which was usually pounding in his ears after an explosion. He could feel it... But...he couldn't...

* * *

"Dr. D.? Dr. D. are you all right?

He blinked up at her repeatedly and kept looking around. He brought his hands up to his ears, almost cautiously. He tugged on his left ear and his eyes widened further. He hit his right ear gently with his open palm.

"Drakken?" she said louder, a nagging thought suddenly arresting her attention as she watched him. She raised her voice even louder. "Drakken?"

* * *

Drakken was suddenly and acutely aware of all the things he couldn't hear. His fingers rubbing the skin of his ear lobe; the watery echo he would normally feel when banging on his ear. Gone.

He startled slightly when Shego leaned close to his face, hands on her hips, and seemed to be yelling something at him.

But all there was...was silence.

Silence.

* * *

"Shego?" Drakken said, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. His other hand moved to his throat.

"Dr. D.... Are you...okay?" she asked, feeling a deep, unsettling dread.

He stared at her. Not at her eyes, but at her mouth, she realized. The fear filling his eyes didn't help the nervous knotting in her stomach.

"Shego?" he said again quickly. And then his eyes closed tightly, his chin sank to his chest, and his whole frame tensed.

Shego quickly knelt down in front of him as his gloved hands dug into the grass at his sides. The rips in the front of his coat and the blood from the cut on his forehead were the least of her concerns as she set her hand on his shoulder and he startled again, grabbing her hand so hard that she winced.

"Dr. D.?" she said. He loosened his grip on her hand but didn't let go as his shoulders heaved and his breaths started coming in gasps.

"I can't hear."

* * *

Shego blinked as she scrolled down an article on the computer in the lab. She had read that one before...twice. She leaned back from the computer and yawned once, adjusting her bathrobe over her lap afterward. She set her elbows on the keyboard and leaned her forehead on her fists. She had read dozens of articles and medical websites, all of which told her...absolutely nothing.

It had only been one full day after the explosion. Other than Drakken's total hearing loss, neither of them appeared to have any injuries. The potential embarrassment and anger they should have felt at being double-crossed was entirely absent, due to the new circumstances. Shego had barely slept since they returned. And Drakken...was afraid.

The moment they had returned to the lair, he had stopped talking altogether. He had located what was left of his three by five note cards from the failed train scam and was writing on those to communicate, despite her repeated attempts to convince him he still sounded like himself. She had also tried talking to him at first, hoping he would read her lips and realize he could still function. But the fear and worry in his eyes when she did that quickly made her stop. Not to mention how he'd forced the note cards and a pen into her face the last time she'd opened her mouth.

Yes... Drakken was very, very afraid. And Shego was beginning to fear there was nothing at all they could do except...wait. They could go to a specialist and see if any real damage was done. But everything she had read simply claimed 'time' as the determining factor. Either his hearing would come back...or it wouldn't. And to what degree it may return, they couldn't know either.

Part of Shego wanted to find the little pipsqueak who had taken advantage of Drakken's kindness and desperation for a villain friend. Ever since Monkey Fist's petrification and the falling out with Duff Killigan after "saving the world," Drakken had been antsy for more companionship. He whined about it to her enough...and then didn't want _her_ companionship.

In fact, Drakken had been distancing himself from her ever since they saved the world. Where usually he would be nagging her for something or rambling about a plan, he'd been spending most days in the lab grumbling to himself, and not working on any one thing in particular. His medal from the UN was nowhere to be seen, and when she tried to talk to him, he would always say he was busy and ask her to leave.

Now that he couldn't hear...she had barely seen him. He had spent most of the past twenty-four hours hiding in his bedroom, after the various communication attempts had left both of them frustrated. The one time he'd come out for food, he had peered around like a frightened cat, assessing the rooms and halls for any danger, and then looked back over his shoulder constantly. He'd jumped when she'd entered the kitchen in plain view and left in a hurry with his bag of chips, not even waiting for her to finish writing on the three by five card.

Shego wanted to help. But if he wouldn't let her near him or even communicate in the way he'd demanded...what could she do?

She realized that Drakken was probably as aware as she was, that it would all be a matter of time. And as it had been a full day with presumably no change, he was likely assuming the worst.

Shego pushed the chair back from the computer desk and with a quick spin she rose and strode out of the lab, heading towards his bedroom. She knew he was probably just wallowing in self-pity, and possibly more since it was his own fault for trusting a shifty villain he had met on the Internet. And she wanted him to stop.

She needed him to stop and take a more realistic perspective. They had to wait...that was all there was to it. And he really did need to go see a specialist. Since he had saved the world, he would probably be able to get the best treatment too, if that's what it took.

She also selfishly wanted to know why he had been distancing himself from her, even before the explosion. But that wasn't really what was motivating her steps as she approached his room.

When she reached the door she lifted her hand to knock, and then paused. She scowled at herself and then hesitated before putting in the code to open the door. She didn't want to scare him...

* * *

Drakken paced the narrow circle of stone between his bed and the moat. Concentrating on his footing was a minor distraction, but it was better than nothing. One wrong step would put him in the moat, and he didn't want to ruin another pair of pajamas...again.

He stared at the water that should have been making sound. He remembered what it was supposed to sound like. He could imagine it. He looked at his footsteps that should be causing a slight shuffling scrape in his slippers. He looked up at the air vent in the ceiling that should be humming with the air conditioning that he felt blowing his hair each time he rounded the back of the bed.

But there was nothing.

He paused and closed his eyes, as he had many times as he focused and tried to hear...anything. But it was all the same with his eyes closed. When he set his hand on his chest he could feel his heartbeat, but...he could no longer hear it. He ran his fingertips gently around his ears until bringing them right in front, where the sound should be loudest. But there was nothing.

He opened his mouth, and he knew that something between a sigh and a sob emerged. But he couldn't hear it. He opened his eyes.

He screamed and fell backward onto the bed. Shego was standing across the moat, staring at him. He grabbed his throat instinctively at not hearing his voice but feeling it. He wondered if he would ever get used to that...and immediately banished the thought for the dread it brought.

He couldn't lose his hearing forever... He couldn't. He needed to hear! How could he take over the world if he couldn't hear? Many of his inventions were tested by _listening_ to whether or not the moving parts sounded right. Not to mention, how could he protect himself from sneak attacks if he couldn't—

His thoughts were arrested as Shego was suddenly in front of him again, having hopped over the moat. He startled at her sudden appearance, because...of course, he couldn't hear her.

The silence was maddening. But he didn't dare try to sleep... He couldn't close his eyes to that emptiness for more than a moment.

Shego was saying something, her brow raised in question. He looked from her eyes to her lips and back again. And then she rolled her eyes and walked briskly over to his vanity, where he had some three by five cards and a pen.

Drakken was curious about why she had come in, but...he didn't want to get into a conversation. He couldn't have a conversation anymore. Writing on cards wasn't a conversation.

And he didn't want her to see him so...so...

Shego returned to his side, sat on the corner of the bed, and scribbled onto a card. She thrust it forward when finished, and he looked at her face before taking it. She looked stern and yet...somehow there was a gentleness behind her eyes.

He didn't want her pity.

He quickly took the card and looked down at her boldly penned script, clear, but hasty.

_"Have you slept at all?"_

Drakken swallowed nervously. Shego was lifting an eyebrow at him in judgment. He shook his head no, and she rolled her eyes and grabbed the card back from him.

_"You've been awake for almost thirty-six hours. Go to bed!"_

When he read it he could hear her yelling in his head, right down to the inflections.

His eyes widened. He could... _hear_ her in his head... Due to the memory of her voice.

What if he never heard her voice again? Or his own voice?

He didn't know how long he sat lost in despair, replaying favorite conversations between the two of them as he struggled not to cry, but his thoughts were broken by Shego waving her hand in front of his face.

As he startled and looked over at her, her expression had softened and she looked worried. He suddenly noticed the dark circles under her eyes and peripherally became more aware of her pajamas and robe. He wondered how much or little she had slept.

Why would she lose sleep over him losing his...losing...

Shego wrote on a card again. Drakken tensed as he waited for her to finish. She was filling it up with printing, which he found odd since she usually spoke in short sentences. When the card was covered in the thick blue ballpoint writing he watched her sigh and hold the card out to him. He took it.

_"You need to sleep. Most healing happens during sleep. Tomorrow we can crash some specialists and get you checked out. I know you're going to say no, but if you get answers sooner then it's more likely something can be done. And I know you're probably going to say you can't sleep, but I'll stand guard so you don't have to be afraid. And I know you're going to say you're not afraid, but Drakken...it's okay. I'm afraid too. So go to sleep."_

Drakken stared at the card and re-read it over and over again. He was frustrated that Shego was right. He was frustrated that she knew him so well that she had shut down his arguments before he had the chance to make them. And he was very, very frustrated with the way her hand on his shoulder was suddenly bringing tears to his eyes.

The card was crumpled in his fist while his other hand grabbed hers. And then suddenly, inexplicably, she was hugging him. His breath caught and he took in the feeling of her soft hair on his cheek as she held him tightly.

An image of her arms stretched towards him on Warmonga's ship suddenly flashed through his mind, followed by his fearful and embarrassed turn away from her. He slowly moved his arms around her, dropping the card.

And then...he felt her heartbeat. Strong and steady, where her chest was pressed against his. How had she gotten so close? When had he turned to face her? When had she put her fingers in his hair? Why was he mirroring her and running his fingers through her long tresses—

She pulled back suddenly, blinking and looking shocked. He thought he could see moisture in her eyes. He glanced down guiltily as his hands quickly left her and returned to his lap, clenching nervously. He was taking advantage of her atypical kindness in his grave situation.

"Sorry..." he said nervously, hoping it came out soft. He wondered if he would ever get used to not hearing his voice. Or...anything at all.

Moisture reached his own eyes and he closed them tightly. He felt the mattress shift and looked up to see Shego scooting over on his bed and laying on the far side, atop the blankets. Drakken blinked in confusion.

Shego said something, but he didn't have the first idea what it was. He bit his lip and shrugged nervously. Shego grimaced and reached her hand out, palm open and upward facing. Drakken picked up one of the cards and the pen and leaned across the large bed to pass them to her.

She scribbled something out quickly and passed the card back, then flopped down on the bed, dragging one of his pillows over to tuck under her head. Drakken watched in stunned fascination as she tossed her hair behind her and then loosened the belt of her robe. He looked down at the card.

_"I haven't slept either. But I sleep light, everything will be fine. Go to sleep!"_

He swallowed nervously as he heard her voice in his head again. When he looked up she was staring at him, seeming to hold her breath. He found he was holding his own as he slipped his feet out of his slippers and then pushed them beneath the blankets, scooting back until he could feel the edge of the mattress.

Shego leaned up on her elbow and said something. Her face was urgent, but he had no idea what she'd said. He was about to point to the cards when she suddenly lunged forward, grabbed his shirtfront, and dragged him into the middle of the bed.

His heart pounded as he stared at her lips moving in speech again, suddenly less than two feet away. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, and she rolled hers and grabbed a note card and the pen again.

_"You were going to fall off the bed!"_

Drakken bit his lip as he stared at the words. He wanted to tell her he wasn't exactly comfortable with her sleeping in his bed with him. Well, on his bed... That was what she would argue. Or else just roll her eyes and ignore him, or tell him to grow up.

He looked up at her. She made eye contact briefly, but then her gaze darted away. She settled her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, curling up a bit and pulling her robe over her knees. He looked at the green collar of her pajama shirt peeking out of the top of her robe, and the cuffs of the shirt sleeves...and then at her matching green pajama pants, and fuzzy slippers. Had she always had fuzzy slippers?

He felt hot at the moment...but he knew it was probably his nerves, as opposed to the actual temperature in the lair. He reached out and tapped the back of Shego's hand where it lay on the bedspread. Her eyes opened.

"You can get under the blankets," he said. Or, that's what he hoped he said. It's what he had said in his mind.

Shego blinked at him for a few seconds, but then she sat up and kicked off her slippers and pulled her robe off, tossing it to the foot of the bed. Drakken kept his eyes fixed on her hair, as there was something different and somehow...not okay, about seeing her in her pajamas.

Shego's lips moved and said a single word as she crawled under the blankets. He blinked at her, his throat tightening in fear that he couldn't even read a single word from the person he knew best. If he couldn't read lips, how was he ever going to communicate with people? Learning sign language would take a long time... And then Shego would have to learn too, and she surely wouldn't want that...

Would she even want to stay with him?

Her hand on his wrist startled him, and he met her eyes again. She spoke again.

 _"Thanks,"_ is what he thought she'd said. He bit his lip.

"Did you say 'thanks'?" he asked.

Shego nodded as she settled her head on the pillow again. Drakken mirrored her action and tried to relax, his eyes not leaving hers. Her expression was attentive... Something he wasn't used to seeing. But he could also tell she was thinking hard.

He took a breath and then plunged forward before he lost his courage. "Shego? Do I sound normal when I talk?"

Something else filled her eyes suddenly. He couldn't read it. But it was almost sad... Pity? He probably sounded horrible...

Shego nodded and said another word.

 _"Yes,"_ he thought she said. He bit his lip and decided to trust her. He continued staring at her as she looked at him with that strange look.

Her hand reached toward him on the bed, stopping palm-up halfway between them. He stared at her face again and realized the look wasn't pity...but compassion.

Why...why would she care so much?

He hesitantly set his hand atop hers, and moments later his eyes fell closed from exhaustion. He gripped her hand as emotions rushed through him one after another and tears filled his eyes. He couldn't begin to process all of the feelings that were stealing his control, but for one thing—he was grateful for her hand tightly gripping his, anchoring him to the world that had been stolen from him.

He soon fell asleep in the black silence.

* * *

Drakken's first sensation upon waking was a warm hand tightly gripping his. He opened his eyes to see Shego's closed ones, her face still and calm in exactly the position he last recalled seeing her in.

He didn't want to let go of her hand, but he was suddenly nervous as he looked at the way her hair fell over her face and the way her form slowly rose and fell with her breaths.  
What had he been thinking, letting her sleep in his bed with him?

He let go of her hand, and a second later her eyes opened. He held his breath, expecting some sort of response of fury, but instead her eyes focused on his and her expression became calculating.

She seemed to settle on something and closed her eyes again as she sighed and stretched.

"'Morning, Dr. D."

Drakken gasped. He gasped again and grabbed his throat as he sat up in a hurry.

"Drakken?"

"I—"

His throat tightened as he was overwhelmed. Her voice... It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. And he could hear his own voice too.

"I..."

Shego sat up, her eyes growing worried as she sat up and set a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and met her eyes as tears filled his own.

"I can hear."

Her lips parted. A second later he nearly fell back as she grabbed him in a fierce hug. He felt the pounding of her heart against his chest as he had the night before. But he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears as he hugged her back, holding her tightly against him.

He listened to everything: the water flowing through the moat; Shego's hurried breaths mixing with his own; his heart pounding like thunder as its beating matched hers.

"Say something," he said, marveling at the sound of his own voice as he clung to her. He was too relieved to wonder why she was holding him so tightly, or why he was okay with it.

"I..."

Her tight grip on him loosened. And her voice, so familiar and beautiful, sounded hesitant. He wondered what was wrong.

"Shego?" he said, reluctantly pulling out of the hug to look at her. "I..." He paused again, amazed at the sound of his own voice. He lifted a hand and brushed his fingers past his ear. He heard the soft sound of skin against skin. "I want to hear you. Please talk," he continued.

When she leaned back and looked at him there were tears in his eyes, the same as his. She looked nervous.

"I'm so happy for you," she finally said, smiling. She looked more than nervous... She looked shy. He didn't understand.

One of her hands was playing with the hair of his ponytail. He realized suddenly that his fingers were in her hair as well.

"I missed your voice," he blurted out, blushing as he wondered why she hadn't let him go. He didn't wonder why he hadn't let _her_ go... If she hadn't let go, there was no reason he shouldn't, really...

He was stunned suddenly to see Shego blushing too. She glanced away, seeming suddenly concerned by something. He started to pull his hands away, but...

"I...missed your voice, too."

Drakken's blush deepened.

"The cards were annoying," she continued.

Drakken looked down anxiously. He hadn't wanted to sound like an idiot, if his words were slurring or something and he had no way of knowing...

"But I get it," she said. He looked up. She was still playing with his hair, and suddenly looked uncertain. "How...how much can you hear?"

He considered. Everything...seemed perfectly fine.

"I think...I can hear everything normally. The way I could before."

Shego smiled. It was a warm, genuine smile. Like the one she had given him at the UN ceremony before the moment was ruined by his presumptuous vine and flower.

"Shego..."

She let go of him and turned away, raking her fingers through her hair as she continued to smile.

"We should still take you to see a specialist. Make sure there's no lasting damage."

"Yes..." Drakken said, dumbly agreeing as his mind raced over everything that had just happened and backwards all the way to the UN ceremony. Was Shego... Did Shego have...feelings...?

No. He shut the thoughts down. He was imagining it, as always whenever the idea came up. It was just the emotion of hearing again... Although it didn't explain her hug, or her playing with his hair...

He watched her curiously as she donned her robe—even the sound of rustling fabric music to his ears—and couldn't help the thoughts surfacing, despite his practiced efforts at shutting them down.

What if... What if she...

She looked at him and smiled. "Come on, get up Dr. D." she said, holding out her hand.

He smiled broadly and took it.


End file.
